Technion - Israel Institute of Technology  
236353 - Automata and Formal Languages
  Winter 2011-2012 EnglishRussianHebrewArabic  
Announcements

Moed C Requests
If you are eligible for Moed C exam (due to reserve duty service), and would like to attend, email Mor with your request and proper paperwork by Sunday, 15.4.12.
The date of the exam will be coordinated with all the students eligible for Moed C.
Last updated on 3/4/2012, 13:19:26  
Moed B and final grades
Moed B and final grades have been published, exam scans will be available early next week.
A factor of 8 points was given to your final grade, and the final grade after the factor & MAGEN grade of the quizzes appears in column "FactorB".

Regarding appeals:

- Appeals may be submitted until Thursday, 19.4.12. No appeals will be accepted after this date.

- To submit an appeal, email it to Mor. Write your appeal as a Word or PDF document and attach it to the email. For every question you appeal, please reference the relevant page numbers in your exam scan. You do not need to attach the exam scan to the appeal. Written appeals will not be accepted.

- Please appeal only in cases when you think a correct answer was marked as a mistake. Do not appeal the AMOUNT of points deducted for a mistake.
Last updated on 29/3/2012, 15:55:24  
Moed B exam
The Moed B exam will be held on Sunday, March 25th, 16:30 - 19:30, Taub 4, 5, 9.

The exam is with "closed material". During the exam you will be given 'dapei-ezer' with a summary of the course material. You can find these summary pages on the course website under the Material\Additional Materials Tab.

Reception hours before the exam:

Daniel:
- Wednesday, March 14th, 14:00 - 16:00.

Mor:
- Thursday, March 15th, 14:30 - 16:30.

Prof. Zaks:
- Tuesday, March 20th, 10:30 - 11:30.

Michal:
- Thursday, March 22nd, 13:30 - 15:30.


We wish you all good luck on the exam!
Last updated on 12/3/2012, 17:06:30  
Averages of Quiz 1, Quiz 2 and Moed A grades
A file containing the averages of Quiz 1, Quiz 2 and Moed A grades is now available on the course site under the Material tab.
Created on 27/2/2012, 22:28:23  
Moed A exam scans
The scans of the Moed A exam are not available yet (regardless of the message you may see in the UG).
The scans should be available in the next few days.
Created on 27/2/2012, 17:00:45  
Moed A and final grades
Moed A and final grades have been published, exam scans will be available next week.
A factor of 4 points was given to your final grade. The final grade after calculating also the MAGEN grade of the quizzes appears under "Final A". Your grade after the factor appears under "Factor A".

Regarding appeals:

- Appeals may be submitted until Tuesday, 13.3.12. No appeals will be accepted after this date.

- To submit an appeal, email it to Mor. Write your appeal as a Word or PDF document and attach it to the email. For every question you appeal, please reference the relevant page numbers in your exam scan. You do not need to attach the exam scan to the appeal. Written appeals will not be accepted.

- Please appeal only in cases when you think a correct answer was marked as a mistake. Do not appeal the AMOUNT of points deducted for a mistake.
Last updated on 23/2/2012, 15:03:07  
Moed A Exam
The Moed A exam will be held on Thursday, February 16th, 17:00 - 20:00, Ulman 605, 701-707, 709.

The exam is with "closed material". During the exam you will be given 'dapei-ezer' with a summary of the course material. You can find these summary pages on the course website under the Material\Additional Materials Tab.

Reception hours before the exam:

Prof. Zaks:
- Sunday, February 12th, 10:00 - 11:00.

Daniel:
- Monday, February 13th, 14:00 - 16:00.

Michal:
- Tuesday, February 14th, 10:30 - 12:30.

Mor:
- Wednesday, February 15th, 10:00 - 12:00.

We wish you all good luck on the exam!
Last updated on 6/2/2012, 15:06:47  
Homework 5 returened
Homework 5 has been checked and returned to the secretariat.
One of you did not write any name\id on the assignment, so that assignment can be picked up from Mor's office.
Last updated on 31/1/2012, 13:51:06  
Partial solution for tutorial 13
The partial solution for tutorial 13 has been extended and now contains the proof of an additional lemma. The updated file is now available on the course site under the Course material\ Recitations tab.
Created on 29/1/2012, 10:55:52  
Updated common mistakes file for quiz 2 and personal comments regarding the quiz
The common mistakes file for quiz 2 has been updated, and now includes further comments for question 3 in the quiz of 11.1.12.
If you have any questions regarding the personal comments written in your exams, you are encouraged to contact us.
Please contact Prof. Zaks regarding question 1; Michal regarding question 2; and Daniel regarding questions 3 and 4.
Last updated on 29/1/2012, 10:39:27  
Homework 6 published
Homework 6 is now available on the course site under the Assignments tab.
It covers the last 3 subjects taught in the lectures: Pushdown automate, pumping lemma for context-free languages and closure properties of context-free languages.
The assignment is not for submission, but it is highly recommended that you solve it (as a way to study for the exam).
Please contact Michal with any questions or clarifications regarding the exercise.
Last updated on 26/1/2012, 15:41:29  
Quiz 2 scans
If your scan does not appear on the Undergraduate site, you can contact the secretariat and they will send you your scan.
You can also contact the secretariat regarding refunds (if in order to view your scan you had to order the scans of multiple dates).
Last updated on 25/1/2012, 09:35:19  
Mor's reception hour this week
Mor will hold a reception hour today (Tuesday, 24.1) at 15:30.
Last updated on 24/1/2012, 10:19:34  
Quiz 2 scans & a new deadline for appeals
The scans of Quiz 2 are now available online.
Since there was a problem with the scans, we have postponed the deadline for appeals. The new deadline is Monday, 6.2.12.
Please attach your exam scan to your appeal.
Last updated on 23/1/2012, 10:40:05  
Quiz 2 grades and common mistakes file
Quiz 2 has been graded (grades are available online). Your exam scans will be available online in the next few days.
Make sure you read the common mistakes file that is available under the Material\Additional materials tab. It contains general comments, in addition to common mistakes.

Regarding appeals:

- Appeals may be submitted until Tuesday, 31.1.12. No appeals will be accepted after this date.

- To submit an appeal, email it to Mor. Write your appeal as a Word or PDF document and attach it to the email. For every question you appeal, please reference the relevant page numbers in your exam scan (otherwise your appeal will not be accepted). Written appeals will not be accepted.

- Please appeal only in cases when you think a correct answer was marked as a mistake. Do not appeal the AMOUNT of points deducted for a mistake.
Last updated on 23/1/2012, 10:40:40  
Quiz 2 forms
The forms of quiz 2 are now available under the Material\ Additional materials tab.
Created on 12/1/2012, 15:16:22  
Partial solution for tutorial 11
An updated version of the partial solution for tutorial 11 has been uploaded under the Material\ Recitations tab.
Created on 12/1/2012, 15:15:59  
Homework 5 published
Homework 5 has been published on the website under the 'Assignments' tab. Please contact Daniel with any questions or clarifications regarding the exercise.
You can submit the assignment if you wish to get partial feedback (you will not get any credit for it). Submission date is Thursday, 26.1.12, until 14:30. Assignments should be submitted to the course mailbox on the first floor.
Good luck!
Last updated on 12/1/2012, 15:15:12  
Room change for Quiz 2
The quiz today will take place in classrooms Ulman 501, 502, 505 and 506 (classroom 506 is for students with time extentions).
Last updated on 11/1/2012, 13:43:32  
A correction to homework 4
There was a typo in question 6 in homework 4. An updated version is now available under the Assignments tab.
Created on 5/1/2012, 10:38:11  
Quiz 2
Quiz 2 will take place next week. There are 2 dates for the quiz: Tuesday, 10.1, 17:30-19:00 and Wednesday, 11.1, 17:30-19:00. The classes for the quiz are Ulman 500-502, 504-506, 601.
The quiz will be worth 8% (MAGEN) of your final grade. You may take the quiz either on Tuesday, 10.1 or Wednesday, 11.1 to get the MAGEN grade, but you cannot take quiz 2 on both dates!
You do not need to sign up for the quiz, just show up on your preferred date.
The quiz will consist of questions from HWs 3 and 4. It may also include questions about topics discussed in the lectures, from (including) regular expressions up to (including) Nerode theorem.
Good luck!
Last updated on 2/1/2012, 09:40:19  
Homework 4
Homework 4 has been published on the website under the 'Assignments' tab. Please contact Michal with any questions or clarifications regarding the exercise.
Good luck!
Created on 28/12/2011, 14:15:56  
Partial solution for tutorial 7
A partial solution for tutorial 7 has been added under the Material\Recitations tab. This includes a full solution to the decision problem we saw in the tutorial, and will help you with the relevant question in homework 4.
Created on 28/12/2011, 14:15:10  
Mor's reception hour this week
Mor's reception hour this week will be held on Wednesday, 28.12, 13:30-14:30. This is instead of the regular hour on Monday.
Created on 25/12/2011, 12:50:39  
Updated slides for tutorial 8
The slides for tutorial 8 have been updated. You can find the updated version on the course site under the Material\ Recitations tab.
Created on 21/12/2011, 22:51:08  
Course Schedule Next Week
Next week's Sunday tutorial is canceled due to Hanuka vacation (25.12). As Tuesday (27.12) runs on a Sunday schedule, Daniel will hold his tutorial that day and Michal's tutorial on Tuesday is canceled.
Michal will hold a complementary tutorial on Wednesday (28.12), 12:30 at Tuab 4.
Last updated on 21/12/2011, 13:39:18  
An important message from Prof. Zaks
Make sure you read the message from Prof. Zaks that has been added to the comments file (under the Material tab).
Last updated on 20/12/2011, 17:57:05  
Homework 3
Homework 3 has been published on the website under the 'Assignments' tab. Please contact Daniel with any questions or clarifications regarding the exercise.
Good luck!
Created on 14/12/2011, 14:25:34  
Quiz 1 grades and common mistakes files
Quiz 1 has been graded and returned to the secretariat. Grades are available online. Your exam scans will be available online in the next few days.

The comments file from Prof. Zaks (under the Material tab) has been updated, and contains comments about the quiz. In addition, a file containing common mistakes that were made and general comments has been added under the Material\ Additional material tab.
Make sure you read both of these files.
The quiz forms are also available under the Material \ Additional materials tab.

Regarding appeals:

- Appeals may be submitted until Tuesday, 27.12.2011. No appeals will be accepted after this date.

- To submit an appeal, email it to Mor. Write your appeal as a Word or PDF document and attach it to the email. For every question you appeal, please reference the relevant page numbers in your exam scan (otherwise your appeal will not be accepted). You do not need to attach the exam scan to the appeal. Written appeals will not be accepted.

- Please appeal only in cases when you think a correct answer was marked as a mistake. Do not appeal the AMOUNT of points deducted for a mistake.
Last updated on 15/12/2011, 14:34:01  
Updated slides for tutorial 7
The slides for tutorial 7 have been updated. You can find the updated version on the course site under the Material\ Recitations tab.
Created on 13/12/2011, 09:58:37  
Partial solutions for tutorials 3&5
Partial solutions for tutorials 3&5 have been added under the Material\Recitations tab.
Created on 5/12/2011, 21:05:02  
The lecture on Dec. 15th
During part of the lecture of Dec. 15th, we'll discuss the solutions to HWs 1 and 2, and Quiz 1.
Last updated on 4/12/2011, 09:42:02  
Quiz 1
Quiz 1 will take place next week. There are 2 dates for the quiz: Wednesday, 7.12, 17:30-19:00 and Thursday, 8.12, 17:30-19:00. The classes for the quiz are Ulman 301-305, 307.
The quiz will be worth 8% (MAGEN) of your final grade. You may take the quiz either on Wednesday, 7.12, or Thursday, 8.12, to get the MAGEN grade, but You cannot take quiz 1 on both dates!
You do not need to sign up for the quiz, just show up on your preferred date.
The quiz will consist of questions from HWs 1 and 2. It may also include questions about topics discussed in the lectures, up to (including) regular expressions.
Good luck!
Last updated on 29/11/2011, 09:07:18  
Homework 2
Homework 2 has been published on the website under the 'Assignments' tab. Please contact Michal with any questions or clarifications regarding the exercise.
Good luck!
Created on 28/11/2011, 14:14:58  
Mor's reception hour next week
Mor's reception hour next week will be held on Monday, 21.11, 9:30-10:30. This is instead of the regular hour.
Last updated on 16/11/2011, 14:09:12  
Homework 1
Homework 1 has been published on the website under the 'Assignments' tab. Please contact Daniel with any questions or clarifications regarding the exercise.
Good luck!
Created on 15/11/2011, 13:50:41  
Information files and a message from Prof. Zaks
Files containing the course syllabus and comments from Prof. Zaks are now available under the Material tab. These files are updated regularly.
Also, make sure you read the message from Prof. Zaks, that has been posted under the material tab.
Created on 6/11/2011, 11:47:53  
Online textbook
FYI the textbook of this course is also available online. You may find a link to its electronic version on the list of recommended textbooks (under the 'Literature' tab).
Last updated on 6/11/2011, 09:51:15  
Homework transfer
As the homework grade this semester is determined by quizzes, you cannot transfer homework grades from previous semesters.
Created on 6/11/2011, 00:24:23  
Homework policy and quizzes
This semester we will publish 6-7 homework assignments (approximately 1 assignment every 2 weeks), which will not be for submission.
The homework grade will be determined by 2 quizzes (each quiz you take gives you 8% MAGEN in your final grade). The quizzes will contain questions from the homework assignments, and short questions about the material covered during the lectures.
The first quiz will take place on 7.12 and 8.12. The second quiz will take place on 10.1 and 11.1. In order to get the MAGEN grade of a specific quiz, you only need to attend one of the 2 dates of that particular quiz (you will have to sign up for the date you choose. More details will be given when we approach the first quiz).
More information can be found in the General Information file under the Syllabus tab
Last updated on 6/11/2011, 09:44:09  
Tutorials resume
The tutorials in the course will resume starting tomorrow (Thursday, 3.11). You can find the slides for the first tutorial on the course site under the material\Recitations tab.
Created on 2/11/2011, 18:22:44  
Course schedule due to the strike
All tutorials are canceled until further notice. The lectures will take place as usual.
Created on 25/10/2011, 14:17:02  
Welcome to Automata and Formal Languages
The course site in now active (https://webcourse.cs.technion.ac.il/236353). On it you can find:
- slides for the first lectures & Tutorial.
- Material summary pages (which will be handed out to you on the exam).
- An exercise booklet.
- An electronic edition of the textbook of this course (the link to the electronic version appears on the list of recommended textbooks (under the 'Literature' tab)).

Please read the general information documents that are posted on the website.

Note that the Tuesday tutorial next week (25.10) is cancelled (the first tutorial of the Tuesday group will take place on the regular tutorial on Tuesday, 1.11). The tutorial schedule will resume as usual starting on Thursday, 27.10.

Good luck and we hope you enjoy the course,
The course staff.

Last updated on 18/10/2011, 10:05:56